Whenever I’m stuck for a blog topic I take myself off east to Brick Lane and its environs just to admire the constantly changing art that seems to appear on every conceivable surface. Also, I have some interesting news about this gentleman and his famous doors later in this week’s issue …
Here’s my personal selection – the works can be found in Fournier Street, Hanbury Street, Princelet Street and Brick Lane itself …
I hope you enjoyed those.
These doors on Fournier Street are very popular with people like me who enjoy their ever-changing selection of artwork …
I was intrigued by these bells adjacent to the doors …
Well, this is Mr Schwartz – doesn’t he look like a lovely man …
You can read all about him and the history of these premises in this excellent blog by Andrew Whitehead.
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It doesn’t look like much but this could be the oldest Anglo-Saxon era dock in the world – it’s certainly the oldest in the UK. It’s also the last surviving inlet on the Thames in Central London …
It’s squeezed in between tall modern buildings because it’s protected as a scheduled ancient monument …
Nearby is a very informative plaque …
The hotel next door has a terrace you can walk around. Look down at the wharf and this is what you’ll see …
A wonderful collection of oyster shells (oysters once being a poor person’s food) and medieval (maybe even Roman) roof tiles and bricks …
There are also some lumps of white chalk. Large chalk beds were once laid down to provide a soft settling place for barges at low tide.
Another plaque gives the second reason for my visit …
It was designed by Tessa Hunkin and executed by South Bank Mosaics under the supervision of Jo Thorpe – and I recommend you take a stroll down through the City to the river and study the intricate and lively detail of this epic work for yourself. Tessa also supervised the splendid mosaic I wrote about two weeks ago.
Here’s the mosaic from start to finish. It’s a stunning piece of work and rewards detailed study …
Note the little seal waving you goodbye …
A striking archaeological theme is that archaeology was incorporated into the mosaic. Archaeologist Mike Webber led volunteers to retrieve finds of Roman, medieval and modern date from the foreshore and selected finds were embedded into the mosaic: archaeology becomes art …
And how appropriate that we can see The Globe across the River …
Trivia fact: A key sequence of the 1951 Ealing comedy The Lavender Hill Mob used Queenhithe as a location for filming: Mr. Holland, played by Alec Guinness, can be seen falling from a wharf into the Thames and being rescued by two actors dressed as police officers. You can watch the official trailer here. They don’t make ’em like that any more!
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I like to keep a week or so ahead in my blogging so this one was drafted during the really hot weather when the temperature was hitting 30+ degrees and I didn’t want to walk far. Fortunately, the roads around Whitecross Street always seem to have something to offer so this blog is a bit of a tribute to EC1 as is this mosaic on Chequer Street …
‘Mad in England’ …
Look closely and you’ll find the contributions clever, moving and amusing. Here is a sample …
Lucifur!
And nearby …
I’ve written before about this fascinating piece of street art but I like it so much here it is again. I hadn’t heard of the singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston before and so I am very grateful to this work by Steve Chapman for bringing him to my attention …
You can listen to Johnston actually singing this song here. If the link doesn’t work you can Google it – it’s lovely.
Here’s the rest of Chapman’s painting …
More decorated street furniture …
Other artistic legacies from this year’s Whitecross Street Party …
Read more about this year’s street party and the creation of the art here.
I don’t know the history of these tiles on Roscoe Street …
There’s a super blog about Whitecross Street and it’s history in the London Inheritance series. Here’s the link – it’s entitled Whitecross Street – Sunday 31st May, 1953.
Incidentally, I was in Belsize Park recently and came across this bonkers bit of crochet work on top of a pillar box. It made me laugh so I thought I’d share it with you here …
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As you stroll along Shepherdess Walk in Hoxton you’ll see some tantalising clues as to the treat in store …
Then you head down steps to what must be one of the most spooky and best-concealed alleys in London …
With a promise of something really special …
Light at the end of the tunnel …
Emerging through the alley into the park you’re met with these stunning artworks. The mosaics were designed by Tessa Hunkin and completed over two years by a huge team of local volunteers (over 150 in total!) …
Unveiled in 2012 to coincide with the London Olympics, the scenes are a celebration of life in Hackney’s parks. Two later pieces on the floor were unveiled in 2013. Tessa Hunkin said proudly …
“We’ve made a little bit of Carthage here in Hoxton. I was inspired by the Roman mosaics of North Africa. It was my idea, I’ve been making mosaics for twenty-five years and I started working with people with mental health problems. I like working with groups of people on large compositions that they can be proud of. Mosaic-making is very time-consuming and laborious, so it seemed a good idea to work with people who have too much time, for whom filling time can be a problem. Also, I’m very interested in the historical precedents and that gives the work another dimension. This project started in July 2011 and it was going to be for six months but, when we came to end of the first mosaic nobody wanted the empty shop that is our workshop, so we just carried on.”
Taking the lyrical name of Shepherdess Walk as a starting point, the first mosaic portrays the shepherdesses that once drove their sheep through here when Hoxton was all fields …
The park itself is fairly recent, with houses standing on the site until around the 1970s. This is starkly different from the early history of the area, which until the late 18th century was rural, as seen in the John Rocque map of 1746 (the red dot shows the site of the park) …
The fields which surrounded this area were used as a route for driving livestock from outside London towards Smithfield meat market (circled above).
A double wall panel illustrates park life throughout the seasons of the year in the East End …
Check out your smartphone messages or do some bird watching …
What could be more Summery than buying a Mr Whippy ice cream, having a picnic or a swim in the lido wearing your smart goggles …
While, underfoot, a pair of pavement mosaics show the wild flowers that persist, all illustrated in superb botanic detail …
Just a few of the artists …
My thanks to the wonderful Katie Bignall of Look Up Londonand The Gentle Author of Spitalfields Life for inspiring me to visit this beautiful piece of art. Do click on the latter link for some lovely interviews with a few of the artists. If you don’t fancy walking through the alley the mosaics are in the corner of Shepherdess Walk Park (N1 7JN).
Other sights on Shepherdess Walk are some interesting doors and knockers …
… and a pub that features in a famous rhyme : ‘Up and down the City Road, in and out The Eagle; that’s the way the money goes, Pop! goes the weasel’ …
You can read more about the pub and the song in the excellent Londonist blog.
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We are so lucky to have the fantastic team of City gardeners brightening up our environment month in and month out – especially through these times of extreme weather. There are also enlightened property owners who look after window boxes and other areas where nature can proliferate.
So here is my tribute to them with images I have taken over the last few months. Enjoy!
I’ll start with this wonderful new garden opposite the Cathedral in Cannon Street (EC4M 5TA) – perfect reflections!
Can you believe you’re in the City of London …
Pigeon bath time at the garden of St John Zachary (EC2V 7HN) …
Opposite St Paul’s Underground Station …
Where do these starlings live?
Good corporate neighbours at the junction of Wood Street and Gresham Street …
In the pretty secluded garden at Saint Vedast Foster Lane (EC2V 6HH) …
On Foster Lane …
Upper Thames Street …
On Moorgate …
In the St Mary Aldermanbury Garden (EC2P 2NQ) …
Around the Barbican …
Proud mum …
Culture Mile signage on London Wall …
My Amaryllis gets confused as to the time of year …
Cheapside gets refreshed …
Do check out the Mobile Arboretum on Cheapside next door to St Mary-le-Bow …
And at Aldgate …
There have been numerous events and celebrations in 2022 to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee but one of the best must be Superbloom in the Tower of London’s moat. Twenty million seeds from twenty-nine flower species were planted earlier in the year to create a ‘floral tribute to Her Majesty’. And now the display is spectacular and will be at its best until at least September …
The garden is now open until late so visitors can see the flowers illuminated.
A fellow blogger has written about it here in a blog called A Moat of Flowers – well worth a look.
If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …
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